Conduit for electric conductors.



G. A. LUTZ.

GONDUIT PoR ELECTRIC ooNDUoToRs.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.18, 1908.

94,865 Patented Feb.8,1910.

" Mlm,

GEORGE A. LUTZ, 0F PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, SSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN CIRCULAR LOOM COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION 0F MAINE.

CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS.

To all rwhom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LU'rz, a citizen of the United States, and resident. of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsI in'Conduits for Electric Conductors, of which the following is'a specification.

It is well .known that metal conduits adapted to receive electric conductors are liable to become rusted, and it is particularly desirable to protect conduits from rusting which are in the form of pipes or tubes adapted to receive electric conductors.r Furthermore, conduits comprising metal pipes or'tubes used to contain and protect electric conductorspresent considerable resistance to the pulling of the conductors through the same, partlcularly when the conduits are of considerable length between outlets, and also where the conductors have to be pulled through elbows'or bends in the line of the conduit, which has the tendency tofinjure the insulation upon such conductors.

I am aware that conduits formed of pipes or tubes' have been coated either on the exterior or interior surfaces, or both, with an insulating compound to prevent rusting, and that such pipes' or tubes have also been coated with electro deposit of metal, such as zinc, and also that galvanized pipes or tubes 'ive been provided upon the galvanized surface with an insulating compound. Such insulating compounds are more or less liable to crack or peel off or to be abraded when conductors are pulled through the conduits or when the conduits are handled thereby exposing the surface of the metal of the conduit, whereby 'rusting of the metal at such exposed place or places may occur.

The object of my invention is to protect conduits from rust1ng,.and to maintain the conductivity of the metal conduit, and also to lubricate -the surface of the conduit, thereby preventing injury to theprotecting coating on the exterior when the conduit is handled, and reducing the friction produced in pulling conductors through the `conduit, thereby also reducing the danger of`injury to the insulation on the conductorwhile being pulled through the conduit, and furlJ thermore to provide such a coating within the pipe as will not. be injured or abraded by the conductor as it is drawn through the conduit. To these ends I lirst clean the Specification of Letters IVPatent. i Application led December 18, 1908.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

serial No. 468,112.

scale from the surface of the conduit and apply upon the cleaned surface of the latter ametal deposit such as an electro deposit of zinc, and upon such metal deposit I apply a non-abrasive lubricous coating.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a metal pipe or tube provided with my improvements, wherein* Figure 1 is a partly sectional `view of a pipe having the coatin s on the interior; Fig. 2 is an end view o a pipe having the coatings on the exterior; and Fig. 3 is a partly sectional view of'a pipe having the coatings on the exterior and the interior.

In carrying out my invention I first clean the surface of the pipe or tube A, as by pickling, scouring, or in any other wellknown manner, to remove scale and other foreign matter from. such surface, and then coat one or both of said surfaces with a metal deposit such as zinc, either by electro plating suchA surface or surfaces, or by other wellknown galvanizing or other processes a's at 7), and I then apply a non-abrasive lubricous coating a upon such metal deposit. Such coating or lining comprises graphite which may be a plied by means of a suitable brush, the graphite being suitably prepared for such purpose as by mixin ground, flake or comminuted graphite wit any suitable fluid, oil or other material to roduce a paste or Huid-like substance contaming graphite. Such graphite coating or lining is capable of being thoroughly and closely applied to the metal deposit on t-he pipe or tube, and will enter any crevices or hollows in such deposit and protect the saine, and such coat-l ing affords a lubricating or somewhat lubricous or slippery surface on or in the pipe or tube, whereby a conductor may be more readily pulled through the ipe or tube owing to the reduction of friction, hence the insulation on the conductor will not be injured when pulled along such lubricous surface, and the graphite coating will not be injured by pulling a conductor through the ipe or tube as such coating is non-abrasive `1n that it will not crack or peel off when the conductor is pulled through the pipe or tube, or when the latter is bent, and will not injure lsuch insulation as the conductor is pulled through the pipe or tube, and when the pipe or tube is handled, slid along a floor or t-he like, or transported, the exterior lubricous coating will not be cracked or peeled off.

.,Ii .i "ikv: 2 1 .1 i The graphite on suc a conductive coating onor in the pipe. While the-electroplating of `such surface or. surfaces of the pipe or tube, such as galvanizingl the same, is intended to prevent rusting of such surface or surfaces, there are liable to be v places or spotsnot ycovered or only par` tially covered by the electro plating or metal deposit, Where rustingcan take place, but the graphite coating applied upon the plated surface or surfaces will cover'or coat such 'pla'ce's'orspots, and protect thel same aswell asfurther protecting the remainder of the plated surface or surfaces, ywhile at the same time providing a nonabrasive conductive and' lubricating coating, as before explained;

The non abrasive lubricous conductivel coating z may be'applied veryI thinly upon ther `metal deposit onl or in the pipe, and

when so applied' upon the inner metal deposit does not appreciably decrease the internal diameter ofthe pipe, thereby further decreasing the objections incident to enamel and, other insulation on the interior of pipes,

which iare .necessarily relatively thick, for conductors that are properly adapted to be pulled through such conduits frequently, by being bent or kinked, engage such enamel or insulation and injure the same, and also peel olf enamel nor insulation and expose the pipe as well as increasing the work of pulllng the conductors through by reason of increased friction.

A furthery important feature of my invention resides in the fact that by having the surface of the pipe thoroughly cleaned from scale before the metal deposit is applied thereto, there.is no danger of thecoatm a being accidentally dislodged from the pipe' by scale being removed,

,In Fi 1 the metal plating o is shown deposite upon the inner surface of pipe A and the non-abrasive lubricating conductive coating or graphite a u on the electro deposit; 1n Fig. 2 the meta plating b is upon the exterior of the pipe and the graphite coating ais upon the plating b, while in Fig.

3 the metal plating b is u on both the interior and the exterior sur aces of the pipe, andthe metal platmgs b.

Having now described my invention what I claim 1s:

1. A new article of commerce comprising aphite coating a is upon both a metal conduit having a metal deposit upon its surfaceand aynon#abrasive-lubricous coat-` ing u on the metalfd'eposittonprevent rusting of the conduit through the pores of said deposit andp'r'vide a slippery surface.

2. A new article of commerce comprising aYmetal-conduit having a metal deposit uponitsyinner surface, and a non-abrasive lubria metal conduit having an electrodeposit upon its inner surface, and a non-abrasive luloricous conductive coating upon said de-4 posit to prevent rusting of the conduit through the pores ofsaid deposit and maintain conductivity of the conduit through said deposit.

4. A new article of commerce comprising a metal conduit having an electrodeposit upon its inner surface and a coating comprising graphite upon the electrodeposit to prevent rustinguof the conduit through the pores of said deposit and maintain conductivity of the conduit through said deposit.

5. A new article of commerce comprising a metal conduit having a metal deposit upon its inner surface, and a coating comprising graphiteupon said metal deposit to prevent rustin of the conduit through the pores of said (feposit and maintain conductlvity of the conduit through said deposit;

6. A new article of commerce comprising a metal conduit having a metal deposit upon its surface, and a non-abrasive lubricous conductive coating u on the metal deposit to prevent rusting to the conduit through the pores of said deposit and maintain conductivity of said conduit through said deposit.

7. A new article of commerce comprising a metal conduit having a metal deposit upon its surface and a coatlng comprising graphite upon saidmetal deposit to prevent rusting of the conduit through the pores of said deposit and maintain conductlvity of the conduit throu h said deposit. Y

Si ed vat lgew York city, in the county of ew York, and State of New York, this 17th day of December, A. D. 1908.

GEORGE A. LUTZ. Witnesses:

T. F. BoURNE, MARIE F. WAINRIGHT. 

